1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a medical device control system.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, there has been research and development of swallowable capsule medical devices, as represented by capsule endoscopes and the like, that are swallowed by a subject to enter the subject's body, where they traverse a passage in the body cavity to capture images of a target site inside the passage in the body cavity. The capsule endoscopes described above have a configuration in which an imaging device that can perform the medical procedure described above, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) that can acquire images or the like, is provided and perform image acquisition at the target site inside the passage in the body cavity.
The aforementioned capsule medical device may only be moved through the digestive tract by action of peristalsis but not controlled with respect to its position and direction. Location of the capsule medical device within the passage in the body cavity has been required to induce the capsule medical device so as to be allowed to perform easy diagnosis.
The technique for locating the medical device that has been induced to the site (within the passage in the body cavity) that cannot be visually identified so as to be further induced to the target site has been disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, publication No. 2004-25174 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1).
The above-described technique is required not only for the capsule medical device but also for the medical device equipped with the probe that is induced into the passage in the cavity of the subject's body. The technique for locating the medical device that has been induced to the site (within the passage in the body cavity) that cannot be visually identified so as to be further guided to the target site has also been disclosed in PCT International Publication No. WO00/07641 (Pamphlet) (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 2).